The gist: Founded in 1853, Esther
Short Park is the most storied public patch of lawn in Washington
state—or at least the oldest—in a surrounding ’hood that looks a bit
like small-town Kansas with condos and a Hilton. Reservations online or
over the phone.

The cost: $115 an hour, plus a $1,300 deposit.

Gay weddings?:
Sure. According to Stacey Donovan, special events coordinator with the City of Vancouver, the department was considering opening part of the
park for free to anyone who wanted to get married on Sunday, Dec. 9; in the meantime, however, an anonymous donor has come forward with funds to open the stage pavilion for weddings on that day.

The gist: The
Unitarians have long been one of the most liberal of Christian
denominations, boasting the first openly gay minister and bishop in the
United States. The Vancouver branch is equally welcoming, and offers a
church sanctuary with a 275-person capacity. The church also has large
grounds to accommodate outdoor weddings.

The cost: Currently under revision, but will be comparable to other churches in the area.

The gist: This ornate, stacked
wedding cake of a chapel originally opened to serve a Catholic Young
Ladies Academy in 1874. The French-Carpenter-Gothic chapel, which
features a three-story altar and a rear balcony in case Dustin Hoffman
shows up, is now an entirely secular BYO-minister marriage spot
available for rental. It’s like a Catholic wedding without all the
Catholics.

The gist: The grounds of the
former territory’s old Fort Vancouver outpost offer more traditional
wedding environs at the old manse of Gen. George Marshall—author of the
plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. But at the fort’s Pearson Air
Museum, you can get married in a capacious airplane hangar amid the
planes of yesteryear, which have been strung from the ceiling in
simulated, glorious flight. It’s a bit more muscular a metaphor than
just releasing a dove.

Correction and update: The print edition of Willamette Week correctly attributed the information about Esther Short Park to Stacey Donovan, special events coordinator of the City of Vancouver. However, the Web edition used an earlier version of the text in which the information was incorrectly attributed to Stacey Allington. Also, since WW spoke to Ms. Donovan, an anonymous donor contributed funds to open the stage pavilion section of Esther Short Park for same-sex wedding ceremonies on December 9.